New Chicken Pie recipe available soon!
Looking for a quick and easy Friday Night recipe?….. Read further for details
Friday night is usually the end of the working week for most people, the night you just want to go home and crash on the couch with your favourite show to binge watch. Cooking is the last thing on your mind! Before you reach for the Uber eats app, take a look at what you have in your fridge or pantry instead, with a few key ingredients you can whip up a healthy meal and still be sitting in front of your tv or computer ready to begin your binge watching marathon in no time!
This recipe is quick and easy and cooks in 15 minutes!
Grilled Chicken with mixed vegetables
Servings: 2
Cook time: 15 minutes
Prep time: 5 minutes
Ingredients
500g chicken breast
1/2 tablespoon dried oregano
1/2 tablespoon dried basil
1 teaspoon all purpose seasoning
1 tablespoon plant based butter or margarine
2 pouches of steam ready vegetables (any type of vegies you like)
Method
- Pre heat grill and set on a medium heat.
- In a microwave proof dish melt butter/margarine
- Wash and slice chicken breast into fillets
- Place in glass bowl and add , melted butter, herbs and seasoning. Mix through to coat chicken
- Place on grill tray and grill until golden brown and cooked through (appox. 15 minutes for thin style fillets) If you cut them thicker leave for longer, appox. 20 minutes) When grilling turn fillets over to other side halfway through cooking time.
- In the meantime place one pouch at a time of the steam vegetables into the microwave and cook for specified time.
- Once chicken and vegetables are cooked place on a plate and serve. Can be served with a salad or your favourite bread.
If you like you pan fry the chicken instead for quicker cooking. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed this recipe.
Nutritional information
Net carbs: .01g
Total carbs: .4g
Dietary fibre: .3g
Protein: 51g
Fat: 10.5g
Calories: 302
Vicky
Is Pizza Tuesday a thing?
Cooking dinner during the week can be a challenge. How do you feed your family a healthy meal in the short amount of time you have available to cook during the week?
I find the ready to cook range from Woolworths a godsend. They have a really great tasting cauliflower pizza base ready to be baked, all you need to do is add your favourite toppings! The cauliflower base is low gi/low carb which is a great start if you are watching your sugar levels or weight. It has a great taste which will even be a winner with the younger children and best of all you can buy a few and freeze them so you have them ready at any time. Below is a quick recipe which I like to use when making pizza’s using the cauliflower base.
Vegetarian Supreme Pizza
Ingredients – Pizza Sauce
1 x 750ml bottle Italian passata
1 x 400g diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt/pepper to taste
If you wish add 1/2 diced onion and 1 glove of garlic if wanted
Method
- Place oil in the bottom of a heavy based pan, add oregano and if you wish onion and garlic. Lightly fry for a few seconds to allow oil to coat oregano or onion or garlic.
- Add passatta and diced tomato. Stir and allow to boil
- Once boiled reduce to simmer and simmer for half hour. If sauce thickens up too much add some water to thin out. Once cooked thoroughly (oil should come up to the surface) set aside
Pizza topping ingredients
1/2 cup fresh chopped tomatoes
1/2 large capsicum diced
1/4 cup sliced black olives
2 sliced plant based cheese or 1/2 cup grated plant based cheese
1/2 teaspoon oregano
Method
- Place thawed pizza base in oven 180 degrees Celsius and bake for 5-10 mintues.
- Remove from oven and top with pizza sauce, cheese, tomatoes, capsicum, olives and oregano
- Return to oven and bake at 180 degrees Celsius until cheese is melted and toppings are cooked.
- Serve with garlic gluten free bread.
Hope this recipe takes some of the stress out of preparing a weekly meal. I will put up a few more recipes soon to help you navigate weekday meals.
Thank you for reading my posts.
Vicky
Want a quick, healthy & delicious brunch/lunch recipe keep reading!
This year I am making a big effort to lose 10 kg that I have been hanging onto for the last 17 years! It’s been an on/off dilemma that I feel no matter what I do I can never win.
I started last year with a calorie counter app which helped me keep control of what I have been eating and then of course the holidays kicked in and out went my diet! So here I am again new year and hopefully new me!
Here is a recipe I put together that’s fresh and easy to make and very delicious and filling!
Salmon Sushi Platter
Ingredients
100g salmon
1 small avocado
3 mini cucumbers or 1 medium one
1 tablespoon chopped chives
2 tablespoons fat free mayonnaise
1/2 cup cooked basmati rice
1 tablespoons white vinegar
Salt to taste
Method
1) Wash and cut cucumbers into strips
2) Peel and slice avocado into thin strips
3) In a small bowl place rice and pour vinegar on top, mix thoroughly.
4) in a large plate place rice in the middle of the plate and place the vegetables and salmon around the rice. Place mayonnaise on the plate.
5) Sprinkle chopped chives on top and salt to taste and serve.
Hope you enjoyed this recipe.
Vicky
Starting my New Years Resolution Early! Healthy Eating! What’s Yours?
Ok well we are at the tail end of the year. The time of year we are going to make a bunch of promises to ourselves which we will most likely never keep!
Mine again is too loose weight and be healthy! And this year I have extra motivation. My 50th birthday! So wish me luck. I will definitely need it. Here is a quick recipe for a delicious and nutritious breakfast to get you started.
Ingredients
1/2 cup raspberries
1/2 cup blueberries
3-4 dates
1 teaspoon mixed chai seeds
4-5 tablespoons natural Greek yoghurt (I used lactose free yoghurt)
2 teaspoons pure maple syrup
Method
1) Wash berries and place in bowl add yoghurt, sprinkle chai seeds and dates on top. Drizzle with maple syrup and you are good to go!
That’s it. Simple Fresh and Tasty!
I have stocked my fridge full of berries, yoghurt, avocado and salmon! As I come up with more recipes I will put them up for you!
Thank you to everyone who has read my blog and subscribed. I really appreciate your support. If you haven’t subscribed already please do to get all the updates on my latest posts.
Wishing you all a happy and safe New Year!
Vicky
My new best friend…..
Move over George Foreman grill I have found a new best friend! The Russell Hobbs Multifunction benchtop oven!
This oven is amazing! It bakes, it grills, it air fry’s and toasts bread!
It has an easy to clean pull out tray they catches all the crumbs comes with 3 trays plus the crumb tray.
It’s not a bulky unit so would fit most benchtops. To clean just wipe with a clean damp cloth and wash removal trays in warm soapy water. Make sure to dry thoroughly before putting back in the oven. I bought mine from Big W.
Overall I give it a 10/10 for efficiency, reliability and time saving. Best of all the oven heats up quickly so no waiting time!
Thank you for reading my blog post! Wishing you all a wonderful day!
Vicky
Sunday Funday Pancakes!
A little twist on your traditional pancake recipe!
Who doesn’t love fluffy pancakes on a lazy Sunday morning! By adding creamy delicious Greek Yoghurt to the mix they are even fluffier and more delicious! I use Jalna lactosefree Greek yoghurt.
Jalna is my absolute favourite brand of yoghurt as it truly is thick and creamy and a great compliment to any meal or eat it on its own.
Take a look at the recipe below!
Thank you so much for reading my blog post! Hope you are enjoying your Sunday! As this is an original recipe please credit my blog if you are sharing it!
Mid week blues….A quick and easy dinner recipe to combat those mid week blues
Well you know how it is. It’s Wednesday, that day of the week where you are further away from Monday but still not close enough to Friday! Mid week meals can sometimes be difficult to plan as you know you will have to keep the momentum going for the rest of the week.
Well with a few simple ingredients you can whip up a delicious meal in no time. And bonus is you can make it completely lactose and gluten free!
Lamb with Roast Vegetables & Sour Cream
Prep time: 15-20 minutes (plus marinating lamb overnight, the night before.)
Cooking time: 1 hour
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
8 lamb chops
1 tablespoon lactose free butter
Marinade Ingredients
1/4 olive oil
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried parsely
salt and pepper to taste
Ingredients for roast vegetables
1 kilo potatoes
1/2 butternut pumpkin
2 large zucchinis
1 tablespoon vegetable stock
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 tablespoon dried rosemary
Garnishing Ingredients
1 tub lactose free sour cream
1 tablespoon dried chives
Roti bread to serve
Instructions
- In a large glass bowl add ingredients for the marinade and whisk to combine. Add lamb chops and leave to marinate overnight if possible. If not half and hour will do.
- Pre heat oven to 180 degrees Celsius, in a glass bowl place oil, vegetable stock, and rosemary, mix together. Place whole potatoes in bowl and coat with mixture. Place potatoes in an greased oven proof dish and place in oven to bake. (leave 1 hour to bake)
- Place chopped pumpkin and zucchini in glass bowl that potatoes where in and mix to combine, when potatoes have baked for at least 1/2 hour then place zucchini and pumpkin in the oven to bake.
- Place butter in heavy based fry pan and let melt, add lamb chops and fry each side until cooked, roughly 6-8 minutes each side
- Once cooked set aside in a clean dish and cover.
- Once vegetables have cooked in the oven you can assemble your plate by placing 1-2 lamb chops in plate, top lamb chops with some sour cream and chives. Place a roast potato topped with sour cream and chives as well as the zucchini and pumpkin on the plate. Serve with Roti bread.
I hope you enjoyed this recipe. It’s quick, simple and easy and full of nutrients. Hopefully it makes your mid week meal more enjoyable.
Thank you for reading my latest post.
Vicky
Please note this is an original recipe by me. Please do not copy. If you wish to share my recipe please quote my blog page www.vickyshandcrafteddesigns.blog
Thank you!
Throwback Thursday…….
Gluten & Dairy Free Lasagna Recipe!
Looking back at one of my favourite recipes to create! Lasgna! It’s always been a favourite of mine and what I love about it most is you can create whatever sauce or filling you want! There are even dessert versions of it!
This recipe is gluten free and dairy free. Since having to watch both I did miss out for a while! San Remo pasta have brought out a wonderful range of gluten free pasta so you don’t have to miss out. Along with Bio plant based cheese it’s great to be able to eat my favourite food again!
Check out my recipe below!
Prep Time : 1/2 hour
Sauce cooking time: 3-4 hours
Lasagna Cooking time: 30-40 minutes
Serves: 4
Sauce Ingredients
2 bottles tomato passata 700g each bottle- I used the Mutti brand from Woolworths
800g can diced tomatoes – I used Woolworths brand Italian diced tomatoes
1/4 Olive oil – I used Woolworths Brand Olive oil
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil (again with both dried herbs I used the Woolworths Home brand
Salt and pepper to taste
Please note you can add 1/2 diced onion and 1 teaspoon crushed garlic if you like. For me I can’t have those so I didn’t put them in.
Instructions
- In a large heavy based pan, pour in olive oil, then passata, and diced tomatoes, add herbs, and salt and pepper. (If you are adding onion and garlic, fry these in the oil first for a minute and then add other ingredients) Fill one of the passata bottles 3/4 way with water and add to sauce. Stir all ingredients together.
- Set heat on high and bring sauce to a boil. Once boiled, simmer on low heat for 3-4 hours. The longer you leave to simmer on low heat the better the sauce you will get. If you see the sauce thicken too much add a little bit of water and stir. Sauce should be a thick liquid consitency such as a pumpkin soup consistency.
- Once cooked take off heat and set aside and get the rest of your lasagna ingredients ready.
Lasagna Filling Ingredients
500g beef mince (I prefer to use the grass fed mince from Woolworths, it has less fat content)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 cup of the prepared sauce
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1/4 cup grated mozzarella
400g mozzarella extra
200 g grated parmesan extra
again if you wish to use onion put in approx 1/4 finely diced onion and 1 teaspon garlic and fry with mince.
Instructions
- Place olive oil in heavy based saucepan, turn on heat to medium, if adding onion and garlic, add in first and fry for 1 minute, add mince and fry until browned.
- Add in herbs, salt and pepper, stir through
- Add 1 cup of prepared sauce, stir through then add 1/4 cup each of the mozzarella and parmesan cheese, stir through and set heat to a low simmer, simmer for approx 15-20 minutes, Continue stirring occasionally, If mixture seems to dry out add a bit more sauce.
- Once cooked, turn off heat and set aside for when you are ready to assemble lasagna.
Please see below for steps. I have added in this one fried eggplant but you can add other vegetables if you wish.
Assembling Lasanga
- Have lasgana sheets ready
- Cover the bottom of a glass or ceramic dish with sauce
- Layer pasta sheets to cover bottom of dish
- Top with spoonfuls of mince meat, add extra mozzarella and parmesan cheese, ladle tomato sauce on top to cover meat and cheese, add the next layer of pasta and continue until you reach the top of the dish. Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top and cover with alfoil.
- Bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 30-40 minutes. (check at the 30 minute mark if pasta is not yet cooked leave for a bit more.
- Always make sure on the final layer that you cover the lasagna sheets completely with enough sauce so that the pasta doesn’t dry out when cooking.
- Enjoy with some Italian bread and a nice bottle of wine!
Place sheets of pasta to fit across dish 
Add spoonfuls of mince to, sprinkle with mozzarella and parmesan cheese, ladle more sauce on top to cover the mince. 
You can also add vegetables to the layers if you like 
Continue layering until you reach the top 
Sprinkle with parmesan cheese 
Cover and bake at 180 degree Celsius for approx 30-40 minutes 
Thank you as always for reading my blog post. To make this receipe economical I used mainly Woolworths home brand ingredients.
You can also make this dish in disposable aluminium trays and freeze after cooking to reheat when needed.
Hope you enjoyed this recipe
Vicky
Please note this post is not sponsored or affiliated with anyone. The recipe is one I put together using ingredients I enjoy using.
Easy & Healthy Brunch Recipe
Unfortunately we are in another lockdown. I feel it’s absolutely necessary in order to curb this horrible virus. For those of us forced to stay home it can be a lonely and overwhelming experience with most of us turning to junk food to fill the void.
Cooking is the last thing on our minds! Give me a warm blanket, large pack of Doritos and Netflix and I am good to go!
Unfortunately I am going to have to forget the Doritos and opt for something healthy. One thing I look for when I am cooking is an appliance that will make my life easier and the Kambrook Pancake Maker won my heart today. Not only does it make delicious pancakes in no time you can also make mini omelettes too! They cook in seconds and are filling too! You can put away that bag of Doritos after all.
Below is a quick recipe I put together. Serves 1-2 people but if you want to feed more people increase the number of eggs by adding one extra egg per person.
Cheesy Egg Omelette
Ingredients
2 eggs
Salt
Pepper
1/2 tablespoon dried chives
Grated cheese (any cheese will do)
Spray oil
Instructions
1) Plug in Kambrook pancake maker to heat up, spray with oil
2) place all ingredients in a glass bowl and best with whisk until blended.
3) Pour half of the mixture onto one plate of the pancake maker and half on the other. Close the lid and let it cook. A green light will go on when it’s ready.
4) serve with a fresh salad or steamed vegetables or even in a sandwich.
And that’s it! Lunch, brunch or breakfast or even dinner is done. Best of all clean up is easy. Let the appliance cool a little and wipe with a clean wet cloth. Dry with paper towel and store away!
Hope you enjoyed that simple recipe. I will hopefully be bringing you more recipes with time saving appliances I like to use.
Sending you all positive vibes to help everyone get through this stressful time.
Vicky